Kaase’s second Engine Masters competition engine is based upon his Boss Nine package, an aftermarket top end mimicking the legendary Boss 429 semi hemi big-block offered by Ford from 1969-1970. Kaase actually brought these components into production to fulfill a desire to run a Boss in the Engine Masters competition. The Boss Nine components fit standard 429/460 Ford big-blocks and their aftermarket derivatives, making what was a nearly extinct engine readily available once again.

Kaase brought a customer-friendly 599ci Boss Engine to Engine Masters 2014, but his second entry is a very unusual set up. He de-boring a 1970 Ford Super Cobra Jet block from the stock 4.360-inch to a tiny 3.695-inch bore size. The downsized bore works in unison with an enormous stroke length of 4.700-inch (a stock Boss 429 is 3.590) to arrive at 404 cubic inches. A custom Comp hydraulic roller cam works the valves to a lift of 0.860-inch via a set of Kaase Boss rockers. A FAST fuel injection system provides control for the ignition and fuel, with mass quantities of air flowing through an Enderle 5-inch throttle body. In Engine Masters qualifying, Kaases ‘Nine showed real power potential, peaking at 666 horsepower, however the score of 2873.3 put the engine in fifth place at the close of qualifying, well behind the numbers turned in by Bischoff. Still, it was enough to qualify for the finals, and Kaase cut his qualifying dyno session short, strategically banking the remaining time for the finals. Does Kaase, the winningest competitor in Engine Masters history, have anything up his sleeve for Final Eliminations? Stay tuned for tomorrow’s Finals coverage to see how this one is going to play out.

Builder: Jon Kaase Racing

Engine Type: Ford Kaase Boss 9

Claimed Displacement: 404 3.695×4.700 (yes, 3.695 bore)

Block: Ford Super Cobra Jet, 1970 passenger car

Compression Ratio: 11.4:1

Crankshaft: Bryant with 2.070 pins

Connecting Rods: Scat 6.658 with .866 piston pins

Pistons and Rings: Custom forgings with 0.039/0.046/3mm rings by Total Seal and Mahle